The GMC SUV, estimated to be worth P12 million, turned over by former DPWH official Brice Hernandez. (Photo from GMA News)
Citing that only items that involved importation would be investigated by the Bureau of Customs (BoC), lawyer Chris Bendijo, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Office of the Commissioner, disclosed that they will be looking at the luxury vehicles that have been surrendered by former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Bulacan Assistant District Engineer Brice Ericson Hernandez before the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).
According to Atty. Bendijo, aside from those items turned over by the former Bulacan official, they will also conduct investigation on those of the other DPWH employees, whom he did not identify.
“Regarding the details, we are looking into the ones that have been surrendered to ICI, the vehicles of Brice Hernandez, the Commissioner is also looking into the taxes that have been paid here and in addition to that, we have something else, some other DPWH employees who have reports, the BOC is also looking into that,” the Customs official clarified.
He added that the BoC is likewise currently evaluating the responses of some bureau employees that have been issued show cause orders regarding the ongoing investigation on luxury vehicles linked to the flood control mess.
“Apart from that, the Commissioner (Ariel Nepomuceno) has also mentioned that we have issued show cause orders to the BOC employees who appear in the document that was part of the entry of the smuggled items, so we are asking them to explain,” he pointed out.
“As far as I know, some of them have already submitted their explanations and they are currently being evaluated because what the commissioner said is very clear, we will not spare anybody from this. We regret that they are part of the Commission, but we need to do something to restore the public’s trust in the BOC,” he further revealed.
“Those covered by our investigation are only those goods that are going through importation and not the total ill-gotten wealth of the personalities mentioned in the investigations,” he noted.
